C500, vicinity Santiago Spain, 2012

C500, vicinity Santiago Spain, 2012

Summary

On 2 August 2012, a Cessna 500 positioning back to base after completing an emergency medical team transfer operation earlier in the night crashed one mile short of the runway at Santiago in landing configuration after being cleared to make an ILS approach. The Investigation concluded that the approach was unstabilised, had been flown without following the ILS GS and that the crew had used DME distance from the VOR near the crash position rather than the ILS DME. Fog was present in and around the airport.

Description

On 2 August 2012, a Cessna 500 (EC-IBA) being operated by AIRNOR (Aeronaves del Noroeste) for the National Transplant Organisation (ONT) based in Santiago had completed transport of a medical team from Asturias to Porto and back and was positioning with just the flight crew on board from Asturias to Santiago. After being cleared for an ILS approach to runway 17 at Santiago in night Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) and subsequently cleared to land, the aircraft did not land and there was no explanatory communication with ATC. The wreckage of the aircraft was subsequently found on the extended centreline of the runway approximately 1nm from the threshold (see the diagram below). The two pilots had died on impact.

An aerial view of the northern end of Santiago Runway 17 showing the position of the Santiago VOR and the site of the crash (reproduced from the Official Report)

Investigation

An Investigation was carried out by the Spanish Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil (CIAIAC)). The accident aircraft was not fitted with a FDR or CVR or a GPWS and was not required to be. Information on the approach made was obtained mainly from a radar recording made available to the Investigation.

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